Farming methods that support nature improve both biodiversity and crop yields, but more extensive measures may require increased government subsidies to become as profitable as conventional intensive agriculture. That is the finding of the first comprehensive on‐farm trials of their kind in the UK, which were led by the UK Center for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) and Rothamsted Research.

Farming methods that support nature improve both biodiversity and crop yields, but more extensive measures may require increased government subsidies to become as profitable as conventional intensive agriculture. That is the finding of the first comprehensive on‐farm trials of their kind in the UK, which were led by the UK Center for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) and Rothamsted Research.

The study is published in the Journal of Applied Ecology.

This four‐year study across 17 conventional, commercial farms in southern England not only trialed various agroecological methods but also—for the first time—the financial viability for businesses.